All members of Congress representing Colorado, Democrats and Republicans alike, are asking President Donald Trump to release $140 million in frozen funds for Colorado River water projects.
The lawmakers’ request stems from funding that was awarded in the waning days of the Biden administration. The federal funds supported 17 projects in the state related to the drying of the Colorado River Basin. Trump signed an executive order pausing the funds.
The letter, asking for the funding to be restored, was signed by Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, Democratic Reps. Jason Crow, Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, and Brittany Pettersen, and Republican Reps. Lauren Boebert, Jeff Crank, Gabe Evans, and Jeff Hurd.
“We ask you to move forward with obligating the remaining $140 million worth of Bucket 2 projects in Colorado — not just for the benefit of our state, but for the resilience of the entire Colorado River Basin,” the lawmakers wrote to the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation, the agencies which award the funds.
The Trump administration has said it will restore funding to two of the 17 projects, totaling about $12 million. One of these projects will change open canals into pressurized pipelines in order to improve water delivery and aid endangered fish. The other project will install updated water metering technology and real-time remote monitoring systems.
The lawmakers are still looking to restore the entire funding, which totals $140 million for Colorado alone.
“By making the Colorado River Basin’s headwaters more resilient, these Bucket 2 projects will also help manage the impacts of the unrelenting 25-year drought affecting the Colorado River Basin,” the Colorado lawmakers wrote.
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The awarded funding originally came from the Inflation Reduction Act, former President Joe Biden’s landmark energy and healthcare bill. The Biden administration, in total, granted $388.3 million to Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming for the Upper Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program.
When Trump entered office, he signed an executive order to cast doubt on energy spending under the Inflation Reduction Act. The order affected water and drought projects.